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Primates/Transcript
Transcript Text reads: The Mysteries of Life with Tim and Moby Tim appears upside down and walks over to Moby. They are in a tropical forest. TIM: Um, what are you doing? MOBY: Beep. The screen rotates to show Moby hanging from a tree branch and Tim standing on the ground. A monkey howls, jumps down onto the branch, and knocks Moby off of it. MOBY: Beep. Moby squeaks as he gets up from the ground. Tim reads from a typed letter. TIM: Dear Tim and Moby, why do monkeys hang on trees? Thanks, Jorge. The real mystery is why robots hang on trees. A lemur hangs onto and licks Moby's shoulder. TIM: Monkeys hang on trees because most of them are arboreal; that means trees are their natural habitat. An image shows monkeys in trees. TIM: The same goes for most primates, an order of mammals that includes all monkeys and apes, and humans, too. There are hundreds of known primate species. An image shows Tim with different types of primates. MOBY: Beep? TIM: Most of them live in warm climates near the equator. A world map shows the habitats of most primates. TIM: If you're in one of these regions, the best place to look for the nearest primate is up. Primates appear in trees above Tim and Moby. TIM: Most primates spend the majority of their lives in trees. And they've evolved some nifty adaptations that make forest life easier. All of them have opposable thumbs, which can press up against each of their fingers. An image shows a primate. A pop up animation shows its thumb pressing up against all of its fingers. TIM: That's perfect for grabbing onto branches and picking up small objects like fruits and leaves. Many primates have an opposable toe, too. An animation shows a primate hanging onto a tree with one hand and eating an apple with the other hand. It swings to hold on to a tree with its toes. TIM: Their eyes face forward, for improved depth perception. That way, they can judge precisely how far that next branch is. A primate hangs from a tree, looks ahead, then swings onto another branch. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Yeah, but thumbs and eyes aren't the only things humans share with our primate cousins. Like us, many of them can actually walk upright, though only for short distances. A primate walks by Tim and Moby. TIM: Some can even hop. An animation shows a hopping primate. TIM: We also share large, complex brains. That explains why primates are so clever, so communicative, and so social. An image shows the brain inside of a man's head and the brain inside of a primate's head. They sit back to back, with their chins in their hands. MOBY: Beep? TIM: Well, just like people live in towns and cities, other primates stick together in groups, too. These troops can number anywhere from a dozen members to several hundred, depending on the species. An image shows a troop of primates. TIM: Like little countries, troops stake out territory, defending it from outsiders and protecting members from predators. An image shows the territories of different troops of primates. Each territory flies a flag showing the face of its type of primate. TIM: Within the group, order is maintained by leaders, known as alphas. An image shows an alpha primate with his troop. TIM: Friendly social behaviors like grooming keep members united. An image shows primates grooming one another. TIM: One primate will clean another's hair and skin, and then the other will return the favor. An animation shows a group of primates grooming each other. MOBY: Beep. TIM: The first primates appeared in Africa more than fifty million years ago. These were the prosimians, which today include lemurs, lorises, and tarsiers. An image shows these animals on a map of Africa. TIM: They still share many traits with the mammals they split off from, like smaller brains, short arms, and long snouts. Monkeys were the next to evolve, developing into the most diverse of the primate groups. There are more than two hundred fifty species, with habitats in Africa, Asia, and South America. An image shows different types of monkeys in the areas Tim names. The monkeys in the Americas are labeled New World monkeys. The monkeys in Asia and Africa are labeled Old World monkeys. TIM: Most monkeys are incredibly quick-witted. Some can even be trained to help disabled people care for themselves. An image shows a monkey feeding a disabled person. MOBY: Beep? TIM: Nope, the smartest primates are apes. They evolved most recently, and they're the only primates with no tail. Apes include species like gibbons, chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans, and, well, us. An image shows Tim with the apes he names. The orangutan has his arm around Tim's shoulder. TIM: Chimpanzees are known for their clever use of tools. You've probably see pictures of them "fishing" for termites. An animation shows a chimpanzee using a stick to get termites out of their hill. TIM: They also use chewed-up leaves as sponges to drink from shallow water. An animation shows a chimpanzee drinking water from a sponge made up of chewed-up leaves. TIM: Bonobos, their closest relatives, show a level of compassion that was once thought unique to humans. An image shows two bonobos hugging. TIM: In captivity, one was observed nursing an injured bird back to health. An image shows the injured bird being held in a bonobo's hands. MOBY: Beep? TIM: Yep, we have a lot in common with chimps and bonobos. We all evolved from a primate that lived as recently as six million years ago. We share around ninety-eight percent of our DNA with these species. A phylogenetic tree shows the lineages of apes, bonobos, chimps, and humans. TIM: Unfortunately, human activity has put apes and many other primates on the endangered list. We're working to live in harmony with these animals, but there's still a lot of work to… A poster on a wall shows Endangered Primates. MOBY: Beep. Beep. TIM: Whoa! Moby swings from a tree and barely misses hitting Tim. TIM: Daaah! Tim laughs nervously. He smiles and then gets knocked down by a Moby. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Enough monkey business! Category:BrainPOP Transcripts Category:BrainPOP Science Transcripts